Midnight Mania! Zuck Blows ACL Training For MMA Debut

Bringing you the weird and wild from the world of MMA each and every weeknight!

Welcome to Midnight Mania!

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg definitely has the martial arts bug.

The jiu-jitsu blue belt has been rolling for at least a couple years now, and he made headlines for competing (and possibly getting choked out) in a regional tournament. Things began to escalate when Zuckerberg was suddenly hanging around UFC fights and training with world-class champions, at which point it was clear that Zuckerberg was more than the average hobbyist.

The man has a cage in his backyard.

Over summer, talks of a grudge match between Zuckerberg and fellow tech billionaire, Elon Musk, heated up quickly and then almost immediately sizzled out. Naturally, both accused the other of ducking, but it was Zuckerberg who has still kept the idea of fighting at the forefront of his mind.

Unfortunately, those plans have been delayed. In the post above, Zuckerberg announced that he tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) while training, a common but longterm injury. Zuckerberg has already undergone surgery, but it’ll likely be the better part of a year before he’s back to full speed training.

“Tore my ACL sparring and just got out of surgery to replace it,” Zuckerberg wrote. “Grateful for the doctors and team taking care of me. I was training for a competitive MMA fight early next year, but now that’s delayed a bit. Still looking forward to doing it after I recover. Thanks to everyone for the love and support.”

It’s never easy to prepare for a fight, but it’s especially taxing for a 39 year old without much of an athletic background. Hopefully, Zuckerberg is able to ease back into the training flow next year and does make it to the cage eventually, because it would be quite the spectacle — Musk or no Musk!

Insomnia

BJ Penn has moved beyond posting conspiracy theories and is now inventing them. Innovator!

This is about as casually as you can head kick somebody.

Fromer Invicta FC Atomweight champion Jinh Yu Frey has been released after a 2-6 run in the Octagon.

A little bit of clinch and pummel knowledge courtesy of Aljamain Sterling:

Jailton Almeida is dominating his Heavyweight opposition at a fairly comical level. What happens when someone stops the shot though?

The Johnny Walker interrogation continues …

Saenchai and Buakaw are good friends. They’re also fighting tomorrow in a bare knuckle contest. Do we get a friendly sparring match or blood-and-guts legends battle?

Slips, rips, and KO clips

Yes, you should absolutely rewatch Jiri Prochazka vs. Dominick Reyes.

Anyone who tunes into the One Friday Fights is routinely rewarded with ridiculous stoppages and a high-level of Muay Thai (even if you’re unlikely to know anybody’s name).

A move that modern professionals really shouldn’t get caught in, but once it happens, it’s game over!

Random Land

Craving some carbs.

Midnight Music: Kate Bush was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame today. F—k yeah! Art pop GOAT!

Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.